Thursday - my birthday!

Thursday - My birthday - Kurunda Up again early this morning - so looking forward to a day when we DON'T have to get moving!
 We set off to a freshwater Station to catch the train which leaves Cairns but if you have your own car it is easier to board the train at Freshwater which is ten minutes from Cairns. We had chosen to get the later train, there are only two a day, but in fact we were there in time to catch the early one. While collecting our boarding tickets the early train left the station. A man was standing by Jon as the train pulled out he asked the booking clerk why it was leaving already as his wife and children were on it and he wasn't!, oops if he were my husband I would be mad! He had to phone his wife and tell her he would be up there in an hour! We went for a coffee and a look around the museum which is very good and tells the history of the train line which was built by mainly Irish navvies over one hundred years ago and all by hand - all for gold! Our train arrived from Cairns and we boarded. Our allocated seats were facing backwards (Jon says he can't travel backwards, I have never been around to find out if, when he has had to, what happens!) we were tucked in with six other people which was silly as there was room to spread out and it looked like the train was not going to be full. Just as we were about to leave I said to Jon that we should move to a better seat which we did and everyone else in the carriage did the same! It only takes one! The train ride was really good with beautiful views and a stop off at Baron Gorge to see the dam and waterfall along with about 100 others and we were not in peak season! We arrived in Karunda and caught the shuttle to the centre and had a look around the markets before going to the Koala Park where I held Tilly who was so sweet and it was a much better experience than Steve Irwin Zoo where I last held. kola. We also saw snakes that were in open cages, very scary. Oh! And of course more crocs - I have seen enough to last a lifetime now. We sat and ate our picnic in the sun before asking in the tourist information office where we could buy the famous Karunda ice cream? The lady came out into the street with us and hosed us where to buy it and gave us a bit of a history talk at the same tie - dedication. After our ice cream which was very good we walked around the market and browsed. We walked back to the station and had a look along the river before going up to get the Skyrail. The journey down was, for me, a bit scary but I soon of used to it, the worst bit was over the river which has crocodiles in it! The rest of the trip was beautiful. At the bottom we had a cup of tea and a piece of birthday cake - Black Forest gateau! We then waited for the bus to take us back to the station. We picked up our car and went into Cairns to get our dinner for the next two nights. Kangaroo kebabs for the BBQ and a beef casserole. As it turned out it was too cold to BBQ so we had the beef and hopefully we can BBQ tomorrow. Jon cooked dinner and we ate on the deck. Unfortunately, across the road in the seafront car car park there are some freedom campers playing Irish music but the same thing over and over and it drove me so mad I had to shout across to them to shut up, much to Jon's disgust, he cleared the table and we had pudding indoors. I suppose there are benefits to being deaf! I don't much like Irish music at the best of times but to hear the same bit o re and o re and o dr was just too much for me! We had strawberries again for pudding, they are so good here. Jon we t off to bed and here I am finishing my blog and thinking we only have o e more day in this lovely warm climate. It must be so nice to live in a lovely warm climate like this!